Floors cleaning is typically performed by sweeping or vacuuming the surface, thereby wiping it with a wet cloth; the wet cloth is pushed on the floor and the dirty surface is rubbed. The cloth is generally dragged on the floor by means of a mop, which mop comprises a handle and a plate or brush at the end of said handle.
A cleaning fluid, preferably hot water or a moisture of water and detergents, is usually contained in a bucket and the cloth is soaked into it. After soaking the cloth, the fluid adsorbed in excess must be squeezed out of the cloth, generally by hand. Said steps are repeated several times during cleaning: the cloth must be continuously soaked into the fluid, in order to remove dirt and soil collected from the domestic surface and to rinse it again. Furthermore, when the cleaning fluid is too dirty to rinse the cloth, it must be replaced with fresh fluid. The use of cloths is thus uncomfortable in view of said inevitable steps and the time needed for completing the floor cleaning can be long.
Currently, the most evolved systems make use of mops wherein the head consists in a bundle of coarse strings or yarns, attached to the handle. Said systems are handier than traditional mops, however they are not devoid of deficiencies. First, they cannot impart to the floor the same mechanical force of traditional mops with plates or brushes. Consequently, more detergent is needed for efficiently removing dirt. Furthermore, the step of repeatedly soaking into the cleaning fluid the head of the mop and the step of replacing the fluid in the bucket when it gets too dirty are still required. Several systems have been developed in order to optimize the squeezing of the wet head, without using hands, however it is still very difficult to efficiently remove the excess of liquid adsorbed by the head, thus the time needed for completing the cleaning is still long. Moreover, much dirt remains entrapped in the yarns of the mop heads and complete dryness of the same is rarely achieved after use, leading to bad smell and possibly to cross-infections (which may be very harmful especially in certain environments, such as hospitals).
US2009265871A1 discloses a device comprising a mop with a head made of a plurality of mopping strands and a bucket for detergent fluids, into which the mop is soaked, which comprises heating elements for heating said fluids. Said system may reduce the amount of detergents employed, as the cleaning fluid is warmed up, however it does not solve the problem of avoiding the steps of repeatedly soaking and squeezing the head, nor the step of replacing the dirty cleaning fluid during use.
Besides using hot fluids, when a deeper and more complete cleaning is desired, it is very advantageous to employ a steam cleaner. The use of high temperature steam is in fact very efficient in removing dirt and grime embedded on the surfaces.
In order to provide steam on the surface to be cleaned, conventional steam cleaners comprise a tank filled with water which is constantly heated to generate steam. Steam cleaners comprise a steam generator, e.g. a boiler, which converts electric energy into heat and generates steam from the water contained within. Clearly, the presence of a boiler to be carried over while cleaning makes conventional steam cleaners very unhandy; furthermore, electric energy is usually provided by means of electric current, thus requiring the steam cleaner to be plugged in electrical outlets through a cord, when in use.
The same problems are faced when using devices which, instead of steam, dispense detergent fluids on the floor: the detergent fluid is generally contained in a tank, which is part of the mop and it is thus carried over while cleaning. The fluid can be dispensed manually or automatically. When using manual dispensers, there is the risk of dispensing cleaning fluids in excess, which requires longer time for rinsing and/or drying the surface; automatic release of fluid is more convenient, however it generally requires the device to be connected to an electric outlet.
Cordless devices, operated by batteries, capable of dispensing cleaning fluids, also exist. However, said devices still have drawbacks: they must be charged before use and the cleaning fluid is contained in a tank which is carried over during cleaning. A cordless device for cleaning floors, comprising a tank for detergent fluids is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,182A. The fluid is conveyed directly on the floor while cleaning and a suction hose draws dirty liquid from the floor. The device is bulky and heavier than a traditional mop.
WO2007047792 discloses a hand-held steam cleaning device, which can be used “cordless”: a power base station, working in conjunction with a steam pressure vessel, can eliminate the limitations of a power cord and keep the vessel enclosure, water and steam at the proper temperature. The vessel enclosure, water and steam can be easily reheated for continued use by placing the pressure vessel on a vessel plug located on a support plate of the power base station. The cordless device of WO2007047792 is convenient, as the user is not constrained by the electric connection to a plug, however said device is not a mop and it is only suitable for spot cleaning or cleaning relatively small areas. Furthermore, the pressure vessel containing the liquid is part of the hand-carry device, therefore the user still has to carry it over while using the device.
The present invention is directed to a cleaning device, in particular for cleaning planar surfaces, such as floors or walls, comprising a mop, wherein the mop head is supplied with cleaning fluid by means of an external base station. The cleaning fluid is supplied in controlled amount when the mop is in contact with said external base station; once supplied with the cleaning fluid, the mop is ready to be used and it is detached from the base station.
The present invention overcomes all the drawbacks of the mops currently available on the market. It is in fact a handy and light device; it provides the efficient rubbing force of the traditional mops with plate heads, while avoiding dealing with wet cloths and buckets, making thus the cleaning less time consuming. Furthermore, being automatically supplied with a controlled dose of cleaning fluid, it avoids the risk of dispensing cleaning fluids in excess, which would be difficulty washed away. Also, as the cleaning fluid is dispensed on the mop from a separated reservoir, the mop is handier and lighter than devices wherein the cleaning fluid's reservoir is carried over during cleaning. The use of steam as the cleaning fluid presents the advantage of sanitizing the surface and limiting the risks of cross-infection.